LIGHT UP the 🌎 with ❤ ! #lightuptheworldwithlove

Menu

Tag Archives: Shakyamuni

Post navigation

* There is a Japanese national press holiday today – a chance to let the deliverers and all the other people involved in making a newspaper take a short rest! “To My Friends” was therefore not published today…back tomorrow though!

A translation of President Ikeda’s “To My Friends”
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Thursday, May 7th, 2015
— DAILY GOSHO —
“There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo..”

(Happiness in This World – The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.I, page 681)
Selection source: “Teachings of Buddhism”, Seikyo Shimbun, April 18th, 2015

Friday, May 8th, 2015
—- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT —-
“A Buddha is not a superhuman being. One who has attained this state continues to experience problems, suffering, and pain, and is still subject to illness and to temptation by devilish forces. For that reason, a Buddha is a person of courage, tenacity, and continuous action who struggles ceaselessly against devilish functions.

“No matter how lofty a state we may achieve, without persistent efforts to advance and improve, our faith can be destroyed in a moment.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9238, The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 2: Human Revolution, 9.3 Buddhism Originates from Shakyamuni’s Inner Struggle, from the April 2015 issue of the Daibyaku-renge, translation released 30th April, 2015

A translation of President Ikeda’s “To My Friends”
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Friday, May 1st, 2015
— TO MY FRIENDS —
The SGI is the ultimate gathering of “Good Friends”.*
As treasured friends,
let’s encourage each other constantly
always motivating and inspiring one another as we advance.
Together, let’s travel along the great path to true happiness!

Saturday, May 2nd, 2015
—- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT —-
“‘You should pray intently that Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions will all gather and enter into your your body to assist you.’
– From “Reply to Yasaburo,” (WND-1, 829).

“Nichiren Daishonin wrote these words to a disciple who was preparing to participate in a debate for the sake of kosen-rufu. The Daishonin instructs him to pray intently for the protective functions of the universe to enter his life.

“All Buddhas will lend their support to those who are steadfastly striving to fulfil the great vow for kosen-rufu. That is how respectworthy we are. As such, we are certain to be thoroughly protected by the heavenly deities.

“Making the positive functions of the entire universe our allies, let’s continue to advance, brimming with the boundless power of the Buddha.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9236, Living the Gosho: Words of Encouragement, (55) Triumph with the Boundless Power of the Buddha, from 21st April, 2015, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun translation released 22nd April, 2015.

A translation of President Ikeda’s “To My Friends”
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Friday, April 17th, 2015
— TO MY FRIENDS —
I’d like to express my most heartfelt appreciation
to all of our Men’s and Women’s Headquarters leaders
for their devotion and dedication to achieving kosen-rufu.
Your sincerity is what moves everyone’s hearts
and your earnestness gives them courage.
Based on chanting daimoku,
please continue to do your best to help everyone
with your great leadership!

Friday, April 17th, 2015
— DAILY GOSHO —
“Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring.”

Saturday, April 18th, 2015
—- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT —-
“There is a teaching to the effect that ‘When need arises, pleasant [it is to have] friends.’[i] Neither illness nor aging in any way diminishes the essential value of our lives. Despite this, people become increasingly desperate when they are alienated from others and unable to experience a sense of connection and being accepted as they are. This was something Shakyamuni could not ignore.

“One of the key teachings of Mahayana Buddhism is the idea of dependent origination, that the world is woven of the relatedness of life to life. This understanding of interconnection can enable us to make even the painful experiences of illness and aging into opportunities to elevate and ennoble our lives and the lives of others. But mere intellectual awareness of interconnection is not enough to effect this positive transformation.

“’When we bow to a mirror, the figure in the mirror bows back to us in reverence.'[ii] As this quote illustrates, it is only when we sense and treasure in others a dignity as valued and irreplaceable as that in our own lives that our interconnection becomes palpable. It is then that the tears and smiles we exchange spark in each of us a courageous will to live.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9229, SGI President Ikeda’s Peace Proposal 2015, A Shared Pledge for a More Humane Future: To Eliminate Misery from the Earth, translation released 1st April, 2015

A translation of President Ikeda’s “To My Friends”
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Tuesday, Mar 3rd, 2015
— TO MY FRIENDS —
The grassroots conversations with the people around us
which cultivate bonds of trust and friendship
are the wellspring of positive energy going out into society!
Now is the time to spring forwards
and fulfil our personal missions as boddhisatvas of the earth!

Tuesday, Mar 3rd, 2015
— DAILY GOSHO —
“One day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the major world system.”

Wednesday, Mar 4th, 2015
—- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT —-
“As human beings, we can build a better future! We must never ever abandon this bright hope. Only by believing in the infinitely noble potential that lies within us can we change the minds of individuals and change our environment.

“Nichiren Daishonin writes:

‘Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realisation is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death.’ (WND-1, 216)

“Each of us who chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and is dedicated to kosen-rufu is worthy of the highest respect. We are one and indivisible with the Mystic Law—the fundamental Law of the universe. The great life of the Buddha from time without beginning pulses within us. We are in ourselves entities of supreme and eternal hope.

“When we awaken to this fact, we will be able to tap our inherent wisdom and overcome all of the sufferings of birth and death without the slightest doubt.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9192, The Song of Human Victory, Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the SGI, from 22nd Jan., 2015, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translation released 31st Jan. 2015

A translation of President Ikeda’s “To My Friends”
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.Friday, Dec 12th, 2014
— TO MY FRIENDS —
It’s when we are right in the midst of hardship
that immeasurable benefit can be accumulated in our lives.
Such a time is the best opportunity for us
to develop the ultimate life condition.
Brimming with life force,
let’s advance dynamically,
with an unyielding and indomitable spirit,
no matter what happens!Friday, Dec 12th, 2014
— DAILY GOSHO —
“Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of a person of courage.”(On the Buddha’s Prophecy – The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 402)
Selection source: “Kyo no Hosshin”, Seikyo Shimbun, Dec 12th, 2014

Saturday, Dec 13th, 2014

—- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT —-
“’Words echo the thoughts of the mind and find expression through the voice.’
From “The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences”
(WND-2, 843).“Our voices open the way for kosen-rufu. Compassionate voices encouraging friends, conviction-filled voices clarifying the truth, confident voices dispelling the doubt and delusion of fundamental darkness. Our daily efforts in dialogue—vanquishing devilish functions and bringing the power of the Mystic Law to flow throughout society—are the noble ‘work of the Buddha’ (OTT, 4).”Sincere words arising from and resonating with our earnest concern and heartfelt good wishes will definitely reach the hearts of those we speak with.“Together, let’s make a triumphant song of life and kosen-rufu resound far and wide!”

SGI Newsletter No. 9140, Living the Gosho: Words of Encouragement from SGI President Ikeda (2), (40) Our Voices Open the Way , for Kosen-rufu, from 11th Dec., 2014, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translation released 11th Dec., 2014

Scobie John from SGI-UK/Japan will become the new Buddhist Food for Thought until further notice due to changes (all good) to the overall re-design and content (more great info than before including experiences, concepts and more with the basics) of the sgi-usa.org site (please check it out)…

A translation of President Ikeda’s “To My Friends”

published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Thursday, Sep 25th, 2014— TO MY FRIENDS —For all newly appointed leaders, remember that the start is most crucial.With actions that are based on the spirit of challengingan earnest, win or lose struggle,let’s generate waves of advancement!Stand up with a fresh new determination and resolve!

theenchantedhome.co

Thursday, Sep 25th, 2014— DAILY GOSHO —(The Nirvana Sutra states: “Have no fear of mad elephants. What youshould fear are evil friends! Why?) Because a mad elephant can onlydestroy your body; it cannot destroy your mind. (But an evil friendcan destroy both body and mind. . . . Even if you are killed by a madelephant, you will not fall into the three evil paths. But if you arekilled by an evil friend, you are certain to fall into them”)

“Shakyamuni Buddha states that the Lotus Sutra ‘will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe’ (LSOC14, 246). True to those words, there are many cases in which, in our attempts to share with complete sincerity the correct teaching of Buddhism, we encounter closed minds and hardened hearts.

“But second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, the great leader of propagation, said: ‘How to spread the Mystic Law, how to enable people to become happy, how to advance our movement for kosen-rufu—there are no more wonderful problems to concern ourselves with than these concerns of the Buddha.’ All our efforts in such areas will, based on the principle that ‘earthy desires lead to enlightenment,’ deepen the life state of Buddhahood within us and enable us to accumulate boundless good fortune.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9088, Engaging in Joyful Dialogues with Bright Hope and Confidence, from the October 2014 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translation released 18th Sep., 2014

pinterest.com

* The Japanese kanji is available by clicking on Seikyo Shinbun’sweb-site address at http://www.seikyoonline.jp/news/index.html

A translation of President Ikeda’s “Words of the Week”
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Sep. 22nd-28th, 2014
— WORDS OF THE WEEK —
SGI Buddhist study exams are very important
in helping us to strengthen our seeking spirit.
The Daishonin encourages us,
“Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study.”*
Let’s study together and help each other to make even greater growth.
Let’s encourage one another so that each and every one of us becomes a champion of this faith and practice!

*”The True Aspect of All Phenomena” – WND-I, page 386

sgi.org

Monday, Sep. 22nd, 2014
— DAILY GOSHO —
“If a person cannot manage to cross a moat ten feet wide, how can he cross one that is a hundred or two hundred feet?”

Tuesday, Sep. 23rd, 2014
—- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT —-
“The Daishonin describes, in an easily accessible way, the attitude we should have in faith:

“’Faith means putting one’s trust in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, and the heavenly gods and benevolent deities, and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a woman cherishes her husband, as a man lays down his life for his wife, as parents refuse to abandon their children, or as a child refuses to leave its mother.’ (WND-1, 1036)

“Having the spirit to make every possible effort, no matter how small, to chant daimoku, study the Daishonin’s teachings, and share Buddhism with others adorns one’s life with boundless benefit.”

To all of my dear young friends,by having a determined and never-give-up spirit,let’s add pages of victorious dramas to our autobiographies!

theenchantedhome.co

Saturday, Sep. 20th, 2014— DAILY GOSHO —“… chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Continue your practice without backsliding until the final moment of your life, and when that time comes, behold! When you climb the mountain of perfect enlightenment and gaze around you in all directions, then to your amazement you will see that the entire realm of phenomena is the Land of Tranquil Light. The ground will be of lapis lazuli, and the eight paths will be set apart by golden ropes. Four kinds of flowers will fall from the heavens, and music will resound in the air. All Buddhas and bodhisattvas will be present in complete joy, caressed by the breezes of eternity, happiness, true self, and purity.”

“Chuko K’ung-ming (Zhuge Liang; 181–234) is one of the pivotal characters in the epic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms…made a vow. Shedding bitter tears, he swore: ‘I will never again be defeated. I must win without fail. Nothing is more miserable than defeat.’

“Life is a struggle to be victorious. So is Buddhism. Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin both stress the importance of being victorious.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9089, Excerpt from SGI President Ikeda’s speech at the 90th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on 28th June, 1995. These excerpts were featured in a video of the speech, which was shown during the 7th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting of the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu, held in Tokyo, on 6th Sep., 2014. The excerpted text appeared in the 17th Sep., 2014, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai daily newspaper. Translation released 18th Sep., 2014. Originally from SGI Newsletter No. 2326 with slight revisions.

college-social.com

* The Japanese kanji is available by clicking on Seikyo Shinbun’sweb-site address at http://www.seikyoonline.jp/news/index.html

Don’t cause traffic accidents!
Let’s strictly guard against
becoming distracted while
driving, such as by talking
on the mobile phone.
Especially as the sun sets and
during the evening hours,
be ever more cautious and
vigilant of your surroundings!

studentlive.in

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku IkedaFriday, September 19, 2014:

Our existence in this world can be likened to a dream. The issue of by far the greatest importance and eternal relevance is how we face death, the inescapable destiny of all living beings. For in the face of death, external factors such as social status or position in the organization count for naught. Everything depends on one’s faith, one’s state of life.

google.com

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku IkedaFriday, September 19, 2014:

The highest offering to the Buddha is not to worship something reminiscent of the Buddha. Rather, it is to inherit the Buddha’s spirit. In other words, the highest offering lies in struggling to manifest, as one’s own way of life, even a part of the spirit of the Buddha, who upheld the philosophy that everyone is a Buddha and tirelessly strove to save all from suffering.

ebay.com

Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren DaishoninFriday, September 19, 2014:

Is it not the meaning of the sutra and commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom? Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one’s present form.

A translation of President Ikeda’s “Words of the Week” published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

September 1st-7th, 2014— WORDS OF THE WEEK —Our SGI young leaders from 50 different countriesand territories are coming to Japan.*It’s the seeking spirit and enthusiasm to learn that changes an era.Together, let’s make dynamic progress

so we can accomplish our human revolution!

*Some 250 SGI youth leaders from 50 difference countries and territories will attend an SGI Youth Course in September in Japan.

sgiafrica sgi.org

Monday, September 1st, 2014— DAILY GOSHO —“Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever.”

“In the song, I indicated that the Chinese characters for youth (normally read as seinen in Japanese) should be read as kimi (a familiar expression for “you”) so as to refer to all of you, my dear friends and fellow members. I did this because the vow to strive together for kosen-rufu that connects you and me in a one-to-one bond is the essence of the path of mentor and disciple. Another reason is that I would like all of you to continue striving and challenging yourselves in the vibrant spirit of youth as long as you live.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9071, The Song of Human Victory, To You, My Youthful Friends, Who Share a Noble Vow, from 11th July, 2014, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translation released 26th Aug. 2014

sgibrazilymd sgi.org

* The Japanese kanji is available by clicking on Seikyo Shinbun’sweb-site address athttp://www.seikyoonline.jp/news/index.html